Lance's Guide to Secretly Being a Super Awesome Quintessence Master!
by Lee-Writer
Summary: Lance has to travel across the universe to deliver a toddler whose identity is highly classified to some planet he's never heard of, make sure nobody finds out about the secret Master Species, and avoid the Galran Empire, all while his quintessence slowly starts cracking from overuse, bringing him closer and closer to death every day. He's so going to be exiled by the end of this!
1. Rule 1: Keep the Q Masters a Secret

**A/N Howdy everybody! I've had this AU in my head for the longest time, so I am finally putting it down on docs! I really hope you enjoy this book, as I've put a lot of time and thought into it! Feel free to comment any questions or reactions! Enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN VOLTRON:LEGENDARY DEFENDER OR ITS CHARACTERS!**

 **Shout out to 100000000fandoms and moonlightonroses for being my fabulous beta readers!**

* * *

It is no surprise that the universe holds many secrets. With its infinite size, how can it not? Entire species not yet discovered, planets ever-changing, stars dying and being born, but nobody knowing a thing. Yet, one thing connects it all.

Quintessence.

The element that makes up every living thing in the universe. Or 70% of it. Just depends on who you ask.

However, there are some out there who know the true power of quintessence. How to use it and how to keep it in balance. The 6 Quintessence Master Species. These species, whose planets are located right at the core of the universe's quintessence, ensure that the balance is kept. If there was too much in one place, or too little somewhere else, entire pieces of the universe could explode or implode seemingly out of nowhere.

They formed an alliance amongst themselves called the Tickar Alliance. Tickar is a fruit native to one of the planets, Taldonia, that is said to only bloom into sweet, delicious fruits when the quintessence balance is kept.

For thousands of years, the Alliance made sure the quintessence balance in the universe was kept, enjoying sugary Tickar fruits and living peacefully in their little pocket of the universe, unknown to most other species. However, there was nothing that could prepare them for Galran Empire.

Sudden changes in the balance. Entire planets cleaned of their very life source to serve as power for weapons of mass destruction. The Tickar Alliance could only do so much to fight back. If the Empire's head druid caught on that there were beings with unimaginable amounts of quintessence available, it could result in a complete genocide, ending the quintessence balance forever, and ending all life itself.

So, the six species hid on their planets and erased any trails that could lead to them. Tucked into a pocket in the universe where no living being would dare go, they did their best to keep the balance from the core.

Eventually, as years went by and the Empire only grew stronger, those species came to a conclusion. The balance could not be retained only from the core, so they needed to start branching out.

Slowly, but surely, they began sending groups of their kind to different planets to help keep the quintessence in order. Over thousands of years, they were integrated into hundreds of different species without anyone being aware. They used these planets as pit stops as they traveled to where the universe needed them to be.

Each species is naturally built for different tasks in keeping up the balance. Of course, this doesn't mean they cannot share their knowledge and teach the other species to use different types of manipulation.

The fierce and bold Aldonians, whose passion is as fiery as their skin, are powerful fighters. Their bond with quintessence allows them to use it to attack and destroy using quintessence, while in return mending and bringing it back together where it was needed. After the rise of the Galran Empire, they have been widely needed across the universe.

The Dwarvanians, while having a spiky exterior, are warm of heart. Their bond and natural desire to defend those they love allow them to create nearly impenetrable quintessence shields. They are often used to capture and protect against the corrupted quintessence the Galran Empire sends out, mostly unknowingly.

The Moldiet, small but extremely powerful, are mushroom looking creatures with bouncy heads that double as portals for quintessence. Their natural quintessence reserves are nearly limitless, allowing them to hold and transport all sorts of quintessence to wherever it is needed. Their heads also let them shoot off huge blasts of quintessence.

The Sevaltites have many arms and soft fur. They are incredible healers and are able to cure even the most corrupt quintessence the Galran Empire can spew. Whether it be a simple scratch or a life-threatening wound, the Sevaltites can fix any physical damage, not to mention quintessence. They can cure anyone, including themselves (within their limits, of course. Manipulating quintessence for too long or too much at once can cause a person's quintessence to shatter, killing them).

The Terieth are long-limbed, skinny creatures whose hands are able to reach into the quintessence field from anywhere. They are able to transfer quintessence from one source to another, whether it be from another living being or the quintessence field itself. This allows them to infuse quintessence with another type when more is needed. For example, quintessence based in one part of the brain can be used to instantly teach someone another language if infused with their own language quintessence.

Lastly, the mighty Taldonians, whose ability to learn all forms of quintessence manipulation is unrivaled even by the other Q Master species. They are half-fish creatures with appendages on their back that, like the Terieth, can dip in and out of the quintessence field. However, they are able to find and use lines of tightly-bound quintessence all over the universe to communicate with all the other species from any distance. They are also able to manipulate quintessence to shift one's very form to be another species entirely. The members who dedicate their lives to the cause, called Wires, help the other species hide in plain sight and keep all the Q Masters in the universe connected to each other. Without these Wires, the entire system of keeping the Q Masters hidden would fall apart.

"Without Wires, our species would have never been able to protect ourselves and the universe for 10,000 years," finished the wrinkly grandmother, rocking back in her chair. A small boy with caramel skin and eyes bluer than the ocean stared at his grandmother with an excited gleam. He sprung up from his spot on the floor.

"I'm gonna be a Wire when I'm older! Just like you!" cried the boy, rushing up to his grandmother.

"Oh?" The old woman picked up the bouncing boy and sat him in her lap.

"Yes! Abuela, I can be a Wire, right? My quintessence marks say so!" Lance jumped up and down in his abuela's lap and looked into her eyes. The same bright blue was reflected in her eyes, unchanged by time.

Smiling, she nodded.

"You might not see them now, starlight, but your bond to quintessence glows like no one's I've seen before. You are destined for something amazing. I can tell." Both of the blue-eyed figures giggled to themselves.

"You really think so?" Lance asked. His abuela smiled and nodded.

"I know so. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Let the quintessence inside you guide your path, as it is apart of you. Do not stray from its path, as it will lead you to happiness. Okay, starlight?" Lance, wide-eyed, nodded and hugged his abuela. If someone looked closely, they might have noticed the slight glow coming from their eyes right before they shut.

As years passed, Lance took up the role as his abuela's apprentice so that, one day, he could take up the role as the Wire for Planet Earth. He never let his abuela's words leave him, especially when his path went in a very different way then he could have planned for. When Voltron happened.

Now, don't get him wrong, he loved being a Paladin. Finally joining the front lines of the fight he had to pretend not to know about in front of the others. But sometimes...sometimes it was hard having to pretend to know nothing about the war, quintessence, or the Galra. Blue and Red helped, for sure, but it was still tiring.

Ah, yes. Being tired. That's what got him into this mess, wasn't it?

He supposed it was time to stop thinking about his grandma and how weird his life got and actually try to explain to Coran why a fire-covered toddler was currently trying to shove the food-goo hose into his mouth while a fluffy, white-haired alien tried to take it out.

"Uh, I can-" well he couldn't explain exactly "-sorta explain?" Lance croaked. The toddler, an Aldonian who DEFINITELY WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SEEN, laughed in the midst of the awkward staring contest between the three.

Lance had one job, make sure none of the paladins saw the toddler before he dropped it off on Planet Derup. Now, Coran was staring open-jawed at said toddler, the Aldonian was squirting food goo everywhere, the white-furred alien was screeching at Lance under his breath to " _Do something, Lance!"_ while trying to stop the toddler _,_ and Lance was too tired to think properly.

Yeah, he should probably explain what being tired had to do with any of this. In his defense, it was all Nyma and Rolo's fault...

* * *

 **There you have it, folks! Chapter 1! What did Rolo and Nyma do? How did Lance acquire a flaming toddler in the first place? Who is this furry friend of Lance's? Stick around for the next chapter to find out! Comments? Questions? Cheese? All are welcome in the comment section! Thanks for reading, and have a fabulous day!**


	2. Rule 2: Always Have Trustworthy Allies

**A/N: I'm back! This is chapter 2! It was originally going to be much longer, but it got so long that I decided to split it into two parts! That means I already have most of the next chapter finished! I hope to have chapter 3 out by the end of February, beginning of March! Also, I fixed the chapter title for chapter one! This is crossposted on Wattpad under the same username!**

 **Once again, a big shout out to my beta readers,** 100000000fandoms **and moonlightonroses**

 **In this chapter, we meet some of Lance's closest allies and learn a little more about his mysterious new ward!**

* * *

 _Two Movements Ago: MALBERAK GALAXY, PLANET ZELFOR_

 _"We'd like to thank you for defending our planet by hosting a ball for the Paladins of Voltron and the brave Rebellion members that helped us fight back against the Galran Empire!" Cheered planet Zelfor's ruler, King Chiffa._

 _Zelforians were furry creatures with markings colored into their already vibrantly colored hair. They were any shade of color, from the grayish color of King Chiffa, to the deep blue of the royal advisor, Shermel._

 _The ceremony so far was nice. Simple, short, and full of praise for Voltron and the Coalition. The Zeforians were going to be a great addition to the Coalition, and by the size of the Zeflorian audience cheering, Lance could tell they were going to be loyal and determined, too. Zelforians were known for their stealth abilities. They would be able to help the Coalition recover more prisoners and information without having to directly attack the Galran Empire, which is what they needed sometimes._

 _Lance could attest to their abilities. After all, they did manage to sneak him off of Earth and to Zelfor for Wire training when he was 13 and return him safe and sound a year later. If he was being honest, the alliance was secured the second Chiffa saw him step out of the Red Lion._

 _Zelfor was one of the few planets the High Council of the Tatar Alliance deemed okay to make an alliance with. It was also right next to a particularly strong line of quintessence, so it was a great place to set up a communications hub for the Alliance._

 _Quintessence lines were literally long strings of condensed quintessence in the quintessence field. Certain quintessence master species that could breach the field could use the lines to send messages back and forth. Taldonians were especially good at connecting to the lines, so they were the ones usually in charge of them. Other species could learn to connect, sure, but Taldonians were naturally able to do it. That was why it was a great honor for Lance to have been sent right next to one of the biggest and most active quintessence lines for training._

 _"Paladins and Rebel fighters," started the King, startling Lance out of his thoughts, "Please allow us to lead you to your rooms for the night. We offer you our hospitality if you are willing to accept." Allura smiled and nodded._

 _"We would be honored. Thank you," The Princess, ever the diplomat replied. The King smiled and waved for his servants to take the Paladins to their rooms. Hunk shimmied his way next to Lance and eagerly started talking._

 _"Ooo, what do you think they'll have for dinner? Maybe some special alien soup? Oh, oh! Or maybe some sort of space chicken! Man, I'm so hungry, I could eat anything right now!" Hunk groaned, salivating at the thought of dinner. Lance laughed and shrugged. Zelfor's food was actually pretty close to Earth food. Just... a lot of it was on fire._

 _"I don't know. I'm honestly just tired after that battle," Lance answered. The battle might not have been hard, but it was long and Lance just wanted to crawl under the covers of his bed and sleep for the next three days._

 _"Aren't you going to go to the ball?" Lance nodded._

 _"Duh. I'm not going to miss out on dancing with some alien chicks, but I'm going to take a nap first. This boy needs his beauty sleep, you know!" By now, the orangy-red Zelforian that was directing them made it to the rooms and started showing which belonged to who._

 _The first one was for Allura, grand and perfect for the princess. Next was Coran, who had an equally fancy room. After Coran was Shiro, who had been helping with diplomacy stuff a lot more since he wasn't piloting a lion. Keith, Hunk, and Pidge all got rooms color-coded by their armor (not the lions they piloted). They were smaller than the others, but still pretty big and fancy._

 _"I'll see you later, Lance. Enjoy your nap! I'll wake you up before dinner!" Hunk called as he stepped into the room._

 _"See you later!" Lance followed their guide as they showed him to his room._

 _"Your room, Red Paladin." Lance nodded in thanks, then walked inside._ _  
_

 _Blue walls greeted him. It was a medium size room with a small sitting area, an egg-shaped bed that looked hella comfy, and a door that led to what Lance guessed was the bathroom._

 _He smiled to himself as he thought back to his first time on Zelfor. He had a room just like this one._ _  
_

 _He sighed and put is bayard on the tiny wooden table in front of the dark red couch near the front of the room, the color popping against the light blue colored walls. Then, he shucked off his armor and put it next to his bayard, leaving him in just the skin-tight suit underneath. Finally, he walked over to the fluffy white blankets in the bed and prepared to flop down on them..._

 _...only to be tackled by said blankets as they jumped at him._ _  
_

 _"HEY!" Lance screamed, trying to throw whoever was on top of him to the side._

 _"Lance! Wait! It's me!" cried the figure as they rolled off of him. Lance quickly sat up and stared at the person in front of him._ _  
_

 _The stranger had white fur covering their body with blue marks covering their forehead in a striped pattern. Bright green eyes stared back at Lance as they patted down their gray button-down. A button-down with the Zelforian insignia for royalty on the right breast pocket._

 _"Ashewatudi?" Lance asked, confused. The Prince of Planet Zelfor smiled, revealing sharp canines._ _  
_

 _"The one and only. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" replied the Prince._

 _"Holy crow! Ashew, what are you doing here?" Lance leaped forward and engulfed the laughing Prince in a hug._ _  
_

 _"I was here for diplomacy practice and saw that you were one of the Paladins of Voltron! That is so cool, Lance!" Lance pulled back and stood up before grabbing Ashew's fluffy paw and bringing him to sit on the couch._

 _"Isn't it?! Dude, this whole thing is awesome! Excluding, you know, the whole war part," Lance replied, waving his hands around wildly. The two had gotten very close when Lance was on Zelfor. Practically brothers. It was a sad day when Lance had to leave, but they managed to send messages to each other every once in a while. Especially once Lance learned how to send messages through quintessence lines._ _  
_

 _"True! How have you been? I can only imagine it's tough being a Paladin." And so, Lance started going on about Voltron and everything that happened while he was in space. Ashew nodded and gasped along with the story. Eventually, they moved onto other topics and got caught up._

 _Ashew groaned about diplomacy training, while Lance, in turn, gushed about all the new aliens he saw. Time flew, and before they knew it, there was a knock on the door. The door slowly started creeping open._ _  
_

 _"Oh! Uh, Hunk! Bud! I'm already aw-" Lance scrambled to stand up and hide the Prince when Nyma and Rolo both slid into the room, closing the door behind them._

 _"Sorry, but we're not Hunk," Nyma chuckled, walking over to the couch. Rolo, and now Beezer as Lance could see, followed behind, clutching something in his hands._

 _"Nyma. Rolo. A pleasure," greeted Ashew, standing up and bowing his head. They returned the greeting, then they all sat down on the chairs around the table._ _  
_

 _"You've met before?" Lance asked, confused about how Nyma and Rolo knew the Prince._ _  
_

 _"We're your nosy cousins, Lance," Nyma started, "Emphasis on the nosy." Lance shook his head but smiled. He should have figured the two would dig into his communicator's history when they had the chance._

 _"Indeed. It was...quite the shock the first time," Ashew added. Lance was about to ask why Ashew looked like he was having war flashbacks when the blanket Rolo was holding suddenly sneezed._ _  
_

 _"What was that?" Lance scooted forward to try and look at the figure enveloped in the cloth. Rolo sighed and revealed a small Aldonian toddler. Their skin looked like broken pieces of rock, the cracks revealing the red hot skin underneath. Small bursts of flame licked their way into the air every once in a while._

 _Must be a fireproof blanket Lance mused to himself as he stared at the toddler. The toddler's bright yellow eyes stared right back at Lance._ _  
_

 _"What the heck is an Aldonian doing here?" he asked. Nyma shrugged._

 _"We found them in the woods of a nearby planet we recently freed. There was nobody with them." Ashew's eyebrows crinkled in confusion._ _  
_

 _"But there haven't been any Aldonian envoys in this galaxy for at least six pheobs. Why would there be a child there?" All of them pondered the questions as the toddler stared at his own hands as they lit up with small flames._

 _From what Lance learned before, Aldonians were known for their fierce loyalty. It was highly unlikely that the kid was just dropped off out of nowhere. He also noticed the kid had small chunks of charcoal covering up some of the cracks on his skin, meaning they had been by themselves for a little bit without someone to clean them up._

 _"There are probably tons of Aldonian families that would take them in, right?" Lance mentioned,_ _"If we get this little guy to a drop-off, we could get them reunited with their own species."_

 _"We already have a drop off set up, but..." Nyma trailed off, looking to the side and biting her lip. Lance quirked up an eyebrow,_ _  
_

 _"But...?"_

 _"We kinda need you to drop the kid off for us," Rolo finished, holding the kid up to Lance like he was baby Simba. Lance blinked twice at the child, then back at the Rebellion members._

 _"Are you guys kidding?! I can't just bring a kid onto the Castle of Lions! Allura would kill me! Not to mention that I don't have time to take care of a kid! ALSO not to mention, I can't hide a living, breathing kid away from them!" The toddler jumped at Lance's screech, causing Rolo to drop him. Lance and Ashew both rushed to grab the kid before they fell. The Aldonian ended up pressed tightly against Lance's chest, sniffling from the scare._ _  
_

 _"See? They already like you! Plus, Ashewatudi can help you!" Nyma pulled Rolo up from the chairs and started walking towards the doors._ _  
_

 _"Nyma! Don't just-" Lance stood up, hugging the kid awkwardly._

 _"You obviously-"_ _  
_

 _"Don't you dare-"_

 _"-have this under control-"_ _  
_

 _"-walk out that door! Ny-"_

 _"-so we'll just be on our way!"_ _  
_

 _"-ma get back here right now-"_

 _"See you later Lance! Bye Prince!" The door slammed shut as Rolo and Nyma disappeared into the hallway._ _  
_

 _"NYMA!"_

* * *

 ** _Who is this mysterious new kid? Why were they left behind? And most importantly, how is Lance going to manage to keep him hidden from the rest of the Paladins? Stay tuned to find out! Questions? Comments? Cheese? All are welcome in the comment section! Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic day/night/evening!_**


	3. Rule 3: Adapt to Changes in the Plan

**A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry, this part took longer than planned to get out. Life got very busy, but hopefully, I will be able to post more often soon!**

 **Once again, big thanks to my beta readers!**

 _ **IMPORTANT NOTES AT THE BOTTOM. PLEASE READ!**_

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

 _Lance gaped after them, then turned to Ashew, who looked just as shocked as him._

 _"Did they just?" Ashew nodded. They stared down at the toddler in Lance's arms. He could tell from up close that they were a little too big to be a toddler, maybe 4 or 5 years old. The little Aldonian was clutching at Lance's undersuit collar and staring back at him with glowing yellow eyes. It wasn't the evil glow that so many Galra had. Instead, it was like the glow of a warm fire on a clear night. Small flecks of black were scattered in his sclera, like embers floating in the air._

 _The kid started speaking then, in Aldonian. Aldonian sounded a lot like clicking or cracking, only adding to Lance's fire imagery._

 _"Do you know where Mama and Pop are?" asked the child. Lance felt his heart slowly melting in the kid's gaze, all of the obvious reasons why this was a_ _ **BAD IDEA™**_ _turning into puddles at his feet._

 _"Lance," Ashew muttered, "You cannot care for a child by yourself on the Castle of Lions." Lance nodded and continued staring at the toddler._

 _"Hey, bud?" Lance started, the Aldonian words sounding rough in his mouth. He was thankful, though, that his abuela forced him to learn Aldonian all those years ago now. It was hell to learn, but Lance decided every moment was worth it when the kid perked up a little bit._

 _"You're going to go on an adventure with me, okay?" The toddler cocked his head to the side, scrunching up Lance's undersuit even more._

 _"Why? Where's Mama? Pop?" It felt like a vine was choking Lance's heart and lungs. Tears started to build up in his eyes. He clutched the child closer, hiding those bright yellow eyes in his shoulder._

 _"They're...they're not here right now. They had to go for a little bit, but they-they said to take you on an adventure with me, 'cause I'm an awesome Paladin!" Lance sat down and let the kid sit in his lap, facing him. Lance looked right into his eyes. "They told me to take you to the Castle of Lions and show you all over the universe! How does that sound, bud?" The toddler looked at him excitedly and nodded up and down._

 _"Yes! Yes! Are we really going up to space? Mama said space is really cool!" The kid excitedly responded. His face suddenly fell. "Where did Mama and Pop go? When will they be back?"_

 _Lance could only look up at Ashew. The furry Prince sat down next to Lance and rubbed the toddler's back before speaking in perfect Aldonian._

 _"We...do not know. But for now, we are going to make sure you have lots of fun while you explore the universe!" Ashew picked up the kid and started spinning him around, making him squeal and laugh. Lance smiled, watching as Ashew started blowing raspberries on the toddler's belly...then jumped back as his fur was nearly set on fire._

 _Lance nearly hit the floor with how hard he was laughing. Ashew sent him a dirty look as he sat back down and wrapped the kid in the blanket. Fun fact about Aldonians: They could set themselves on fire without getting hurt. Kids weren't as capable of controlling their flame bursts as well as adults could._

 _"So, what's your name?" Lance asked, setting the kid back in his lap as Ashew passed him over and started pouting in the corner of the couch. If he was going to be with this kid for a while, he kinda needed to know his name._

 _"Liptchik."_

 _"My name's Lance, and this is Prince Fluffy!" Ashew gasped and sat up._

 _"That is not my name!" Lance gasped, even more dramatically than Ashew._

 _"You mean you lied to me? How could you Prince! I could have sworn it was Prince Fluffy!" Ashew, catching onto Lance's ruse,(finally), leaned back dramatically. They needed to keep the kid happy and distracted for now until he was comfortable enough with them for them to break the news about his parents. The best way to do it, at least in Lance's opinion? Jokes and games._

 _"I apologize, but how could you not tell me your name was Lance and not-"_ _ **oh no**_ _"-Sir Fin-Scales the thirteenth?" Liptchik started giggling, tiny little flames dancing across the bridge of his nose and his cheekbones._

 _"Sir Fin-Scales?" asked Liptchik, giving them a raised eye...plate? (Aldonian skin was literally rock, okay? They had plates, not brows! No matter what his sister, Veronica, says or argues, Lance knows he's right)._

 _"I admit it! I am not actually Sir Fin-Scales! Oh, what a tragedy!" Lance cried, flinging himself backward on the couch. Liptchik squealed as he flopped down on top of Lance in the Red Paladin's theatrics._

 _Ashew and Lance went back in forth, spinning a tale of two long lost friends who went on magical space adventures together and fought evil monsters._

 _Prince Fluffy and Sir Fin-Scales, as told by a completely enraptured Liptchik, had met one day when Sir Fin-Scales had nearly been attacked by evil goo monsters, only to be saved last minute by Prince Fluffy._

 _"So Sir Fin-Scales helps Prince Fluffy save his castle from the evil goo monsters! Then they become best friends and fight all the other evil goo monsters too!" explains Liptchik. The two older boys exchange a glance. Then, Lance lets out a battle cry and swoops up Liptchik, tickling his stomach._

 _"I've caught you, evil monster! You won't cover the kingdom in goo on my watch!" Squeals and laughs chop up Liptchik's voice as he tries to stop the attack._

 _"N-No! Hahaha! I'm not-NOOO-not a g-g-goo monster!" Lance hums, then flips the fiery kid upside down._

 _"Tell us who you are, intruder!"_

 _"I-I'm Malline!" Ashew poked Liptchik's stomach._

 _"Malline who?"_

 _"Malline the-the...good! Yeah! I'm a good goop monster! I'm here to help too! The evil goo monsters are trapping the good goop monsters and making them evil!" Ashew let out a loud "aha!"._

 _"Put him down, Sir Fin-Scales! We have to help him!" Ashew held his hand up, a pencil in his hands to be his "magic wand-blaster". Lance lifted his own sword (a bright green pen) and tapped it against Ashew's blaster. Liptchik giggled and whacked his ruler (staff) against their weapons._

 _"Well, Malline the Good, who is at fault for this evil plot?"_

 _"The Evil Advisor to the King! He is trying to take over using the bad goo people! Look!" Liptchik pointed out the window. In reality, there was just a tree with bright orange trees brushing up against the window. In their game, though, there was a big battle going on, the Evil Advisor at the head of the destruction. Ashew looked at Lance, both of them nodding to each other with mock seriousness._

 _"Quick! We must go after him and stop him!" Together, the three boys began running around the room, playing in their fantasy world. They fought the evil goo monsters and saved people all over the universe. It was only two hours later when Liptchik started to tire out, flopping down on the couch on top of Ashew, who had flipped over it in a crazy show of acrobatics during their game._

 _Lance smiled at the small kid. The story they had been creating had seemed familiar for some reason, but Lance pushed it aside for the bigger question bothering him._

 _"I didn't know you knew Aldonian," Lance whispered, switching to Zelforian, as Liptchik started to fall asleep. Ashew shrugged and let the kid snuggle deeper into his shirt, fire-blanket tucked tightly around him, of course._

 _"Polyglot quintessence. My father allowed me to use some last time an Aldonian envoy came, and I realized I never removed it." Both boys stared down at the toddler as they thought over what had happened._

 _"Lance, you do know that it is most likely his parents are..." Ashew cut himself off, bringing the kid that much closer to him._

 _"Yeah. I know. We're just going to have to make sure he ends up in the right hands." Lance looked up at Ashew when he noticed the prince staring at him. "What?"_

 _"You can't take care of a child on your own. Especially not on the Castle of Lions and as a Paladin." Lance sighed and rubbed his forehead. The issue had been bothering him the whole time they were playing. They were fighting a mock battle where the only enemies were chairs and their weapons were office supplies, but there was an actual war going on right outside the planet's atmosphere and Lance was about to bring Liptchik right into it. One where people don't magically get resurrected or families are always reunited._

 _"I know that. I don't really have much of a choice though. I can't just leave him!" Ashew nodded and pulled his eyebrows down into a face of determination._

 _"That's why I'm coming with you." Lance gaped. Right arm flying around, he quietly screamed._

 _"What?! But you have to stay here! I can't kidnap a prince! Do you know how much trouble I'll be in?! The Princess will kill me!" A warm hand cut him off. Ashew smiled at Lance._

 _"Lance, I am your friend. I can't leave you alone with a child right now. I'll tell them I need to go to the planet where the drop off is. Since you are heading that way, I'll ask the Princess if I can tag along." Lance smiled gratefully._

 _"Thank you, Ashew."_

 _"Anytime Lance. It's what brothers do. Not let's go ask my father. I'm sure he will allow it."_

 _"Absolutely not!"_

 _...Or maybe he wouldn't._

 **Will Ashew manage to convince his father to let him go? Or will Lance be stuck with Liptchik alone on the Castle of Lion? Stay tuned to find out! Comments? Questions? Cheese? All are welcome in the comment section! I loved writing this chapter. Liptchik is so much fun to write!**

 **IMPORTANT NOTES:**

 **First and foremost, my username is being changed! I will now be writing under the username of Lee-Writer!**

 **Next, this flashback should only be one chapter longer, maybe two if I decide to stretch it out. This is mostly to help set up some important parts for later on and for world-building to help you guys understand how this universe works since it can be a little complicated. That said, if there is anything that you are still confused about, please ask! Sometimes I forget what I have and haven't explained, and I don't know if what I have explained is confusing or makes any sense. So please, if you need something clarified, let me know!**

 **Have a fabulous day my lovelies! Thank you for reading!**

 **Writer, out!**


End file.
